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“I can see Lewis Hamilton being a team principal!”- F1 Twitter lauds 7-time World Champion for coaching Nyck de Vries during FP1 of French GP

Somin Bhattacharjee
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"I can see Lewis Hamilton being a team principal!"- F1 Twitter lauds 7-time World Champion for coaching Nyck de Vries during FP1 of French GP

Lewis Hamilton was not behind the wheel of his W13 for FP1 in France, as reserve driver Nyck de Vries got a shot at it. 

F1 introduced a rule that will allow fans to see some young rising stars behind the wheel of the cars. Every team now, has to have two of their cars driven by rookie drivers over the course of the season.

Earlier this week, it was announced that reigning Formula E Champion and Mercedes reserve driver De Vries would be replacing Hamilton in FP1 at Le Castellet. This means that we will see George Russell being replaced by someone else later this year.

Fans were eager to see De Vries drive the W13. A lot of fans also believe that he deserves an F1 seat, as he’s a Formula 2 Champion, and also won Formula E last year.

Hamilton and Mercedes fans however, were more excited to see their star driver coaching the Dutchman during the session. This was seen on the cameras, and team boss Toto Wolff later admitted the same.

Also read: “A dream come true”– 6’1 Esteban Ocon is excited for special career first at his home race

Lewis Hamilton gave Nyck de Vries various tips during FP1 in France

According the reports, the 27-year old driver was having a tough time behind the wheels of the W13. Hamilton then took Wolff’s place in the team garage, got on the radio and guided De Vries through the session.

De Vries revealed that the Brit was in touch with him throughout the campaign. He was having troubles with lock-ups, and it was then that the current Mercedes star jumped in to give him tips on steering the car and how to overcome those.

The TV cameras also caught Hamilton speaking to his FP1 replacement on camera. Wolff later revealed what exactly happened.

“Yeah I was a bit confused,” he said. “I came in there and he was sat on my seat. And I thought, why are you not in the car? And then obviously I realized (that De Vries had replaced him).”

“I think it was interesting, because he was coaching Nyck,” Wolff added. “He was helping him with the overlays. It was quite interesting.”

Also read: “Lewis Hamilton was there this time”- Lifelong fan of 37-year old Mercedes superstar finally meets him after FIA Prize giving snub

About the author

Somin Bhattacharjee

Somin Bhattacharjee

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Formula 1 Editor Somin Bhattacharjee fell for the sport as well as Fernando Alonso on the same day — during the Spaniard’s thrilling victory at the German GP in 2010. Over the years, the passion magnified manyfold, and metamorphosed into a writing career in 2021. Though holding a bachelor's degree in marketing, Somin discovered his true calling in writing. He has penned over 2,700 articles for TheSportsRush, presenting a diverse range — news reports, opinions, and exclusives. A true Tiffosi, Somin never gives up on a chance to defend the Ferrari boys as a fan. As a sports writer though, he remains objective to the core and relishes opportunities to follow and engage in dissecting the action during races. That’s where the real thrill lies for him. Beyond the racetrack, Somin plays different sports including soccer. He enjoys exploring other sporting events and proudly supports Spanish soccer club Real Madrid.

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